Originally posted by TheClaaaw But I improved my usual position quite a bit. And even if I didn't, i will take comfort over position. I just will. I mean, look at my rr's. I'm BOBOP. The "correct" position is a bit irrelevant for a guy who can't run a 10 minute mile on his best day. I just want to be able to finish long rides in my bars.

Bingo. The most technically aero position in the world isn't going to help if you can't bear to stay in it for more than a few minutes.

But his comfort and position would still be better on a proper sized frame.

Originally posted by TheClaaaw But I improved my usual position quite a bit. And even if I didn't, i will take comfort over position. I just will. I mean, look at my rr's. I'm BOBOP. The "correct" position is a bit irrelevant for a guy who can't run a 10 minute mile on his best day. I just want to be able to finish long rides in my bars.

Bingo. The most technically aero position in the world isn't going to help if you can't bear to stay in it for more than a few minutes.

But his comfort and position would still be better on a proper sized frame.

i am sure you are right. And in a more ideal situation, I would spend whatever it takes to get the perfect bike for me with the perfect fit. But the reality is, I have to draw a line somewhere. $750 is at the limit of what I would be willing to put together for a bike right now. It's good enough to make do right now. The time and money I would spend driving far and wide, searching for a similar bike in that range, or to find online and ship it, it would become unaffordable again. There was a bike in my area, used, that I can afford. It's not my perfect fit, I understand. But it's workable. If I decide to sell it next spring, I could probably take a loss of less than $100.

So i really do appreciate the insights into the ideal fit. But i also need you to understand i made the decision on what's available to me. I play a decent 6string guitar, solid top. I have felt the amazing action on a martin D-28 and a similar taylor. I am sure I Would play Smoother with either one. But they're out of my price range. Reality.

Originally posted by TheClaaaw But I improved my usual position quite a bit. And even if I didn't, i will take comfort over position. I just will. I mean, look at my rr's. I'm BOBOP. The "correct" position is a bit irrelevant for a guy who can't run a 10 minute mile on his best day. I just want to be able to finish long rides in my bars.

Bingo. The most technically aero position in the world isn't going to help if you can't bear to stay in it for more than a few minutes.

But his comfort and position would still be better on a proper sized frame.

Agree in theory, but that doesn't mean that Andrew can't get to a set up that works with his new bike. As I mentioned before, my biggest concern is that his seat is all that way down and he doesn't have any place to go if he finds he needs to go down any further. However that might be OK if he's lucky.

He's also a big guy, so he's going to have a more upright position by necessity (I speak from experience there). I would guess he'll end up with his seat & bars level at best, or likely with some positive rise. Maybe not optimal compared to Dave Zabriskie-type aero position, but certainly more aero than sitting upright on top of some road bars.

Once he gets to a situation where he can comfortably handle a more aggressive position, your arguments have a lot of merit. At that point he may want to consider a smaller framed bike or perhaps just a new frame and more everything over.

I don't think you'll regret it - and don't worry about being a BOP guy. I predict you'll soon find yourself moving up the rankings. The tri bike will both make you faster on the bike leg *and* leave you in better shape for the run.

One note though - you will still find the occasional race where your road bike + clip-on aerobars will be a better option than your tri bike. As you'll have discovered already, climbing hills on a tri bike can be a pain in the rear. For one thing, the gear shifters are in the "wrong" place. For another, I'm betting your road bike has a compact (50/34) crank whereas your tri bike will be a standard (53/39) crank.

Originally posted by TheClaaaw But I improved my usual position quite a bit. And even if I didn't, i will take comfort over position. I just will. I mean, look at my rr's. I'm BOBOP. The "correct" position is a bit irrelevant for a guy who can't run a 10 minute mile on his best day. I just want to be able to finish long rides in my bars.

Bingo. The most technically aero position in the world isn't going to help if you can't bear to stay in it for more than a few minutes.

But his comfort and position would still be better on a proper sized frame.

i am sure you are right. And in a more ideal situation, I would spend whatever it takes to get the perfect bike for me with the perfect fit. But the reality is, I have to draw a line somewhere. $750 is at the limit of what I would be willing to put together for a bike right now. It's good enough to make do right now. The time and money I would spend driving far and wide, searching for a similar bike in that range, or to find online and ship it, it would become unaffordable again. There was a bike in my area, used, that I can afford. It's not my perfect fit, I understand. But it's workable. If I decide to sell it next spring, I could probably take a loss of less than $100.

So i really do appreciate the insights into the ideal fit. But i also need you to understand i made the decision on what's available to me. I play a decent 6string guitar, solid top. I have felt the amazing action on a martin D-28 and a similar taylor. I am sure I Would play Smoother with either one. But they're out of my price range. Reality.

" $750 is at the limit of what I would be willing to put together for a bike right now" Based on research that has shown that the average triathlete makes over $100,000/yr I think some people on here forget that not everyone is in that category. Many people are able to drop $3k for just a set of racing wheels, and think, "just cause you found a cheap bike, doesn't mean you should buy it" For many others, if you can comfortable ride the bike and it's cheap, you should buy it. For many people out there it's the difference between racing or not racing, while for others, where you finish means a lot more. There's nothing wrong with either approach, just realize that not everyone has the same amount of money to drop in this sport.

Sounds like you made a good decision. Down the line, you might want to upgrade, or you'll find that you're happy with what you have. Either way, so long as you're enjoying yourself out there that's what matters.